Dehavilland DHC 6 TWIN OTTER accident near Pepperell, Massachusetts, August 23, 2014
On August 23, 2014 at about 5:00 pm local time, a 1967 Dehavilland DHC 6 TWIN OTTER, registered N202EH, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (climb to cruise) near Pepperell, Massachusetts (Pepperell Airport). It was a skydiving flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 10 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An inadvertent collision with a bird, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 23, 2014 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Pepperell, Massachusetts · Pepperell Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 10 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Dehavilland DHC 6 TWIN OTTER, built 1967 · all DHC 6 TWIN OTTERs on the register
- Registration
- N202EH · registry record · serial 48
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Skydiving flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While climbing through 2,500 feet after takeoff, the pilot observed a red-tailed hawk approaching the airplane from below. The hawk impacted the left wing, and the pilot elected to perform a precautionary landing. The airplane subsequently landed without incident. Postaccident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed substantial damage to the left wing.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Birdstrike during enroute (climb to cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Animal(s)/bird(s) › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,873.6 hours in all; 374.5 in this make and model; 349.5 in the last 90 days; 130 in the last 30 days; 1,810.3 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 42,864 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 30, 2014
- Maximum gross weight: 11,579 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-27 (turboprop); 15,530 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-27 (turboprop); 24,405 hours total
- Operator: Skydive Factory, Inc
The flight
- Departed from: 26MA Pepperell MA at 5:00 pm
- Destination: 26MA Pepperell MA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 6, 2,820 ft by 25 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 4:54 pm from KASH, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 9 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.